The American West is known for its incredible array of sweeping vistas and dramatic landscapes and one could argue that the Pacific Northwest is at the top of the list. With sea stacks along the coast, powerful waterfalls scattered throughout and one of the most photogenic mountains in North America, the state of Washington offers a ton of photo ops for photographers looking to join a landscape photo tour.
The Pacific Coast offers some of the best landscape opportunities anywhere in the United States.
The Pacific Ocean is extremely powerful. Yet, the sea stack along its coast have stood relatively unchanged for thousands of years. Having the opportunity to capture images of this resilience is life-changing to many.
Somehow, the trees that cling to the rock have also withstood the constant beating that Mother Nature provides, another great example of the resilience on display in the Pacific Northwest.
Sea stacks and mountains are obvious subject that offer photogenic opportunities, but what about the small stuff? With so many things to shoot in Washington, it’s easy to get tunnel vision. We like to keep an eye out for the often overlooked images that few would think to capture. From old piers to rusted out cars, Washington has a lot to offer.
With a perfect s-curve leading to the Seattle skyline, we’ve uncovered a perfect location to capture this impressive landscape with a strong composition in mind. We’ll also time the stop in order to maximize the potential for dramatic lighting.
Seattle offers a few hidden gems that make for great landscape photography. Even though your camera’s shutter will only record a small fraction of time, your images will have the power to convey a message about the region’s history, combining the old and the new.
While our main focus for this tour is to send you home with dynamite images of bald eagles for your portfolio, we have other goals in mind for each client. Sending you home with great photos might not improve your ability to capture them in the future unless we deliver the information in a way that helps you retain the information. During my 20+ years as a corporate trainer and director, I was fortunate to learn several techniques to make this happen. Whether you’re a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner, we will take advantage of each learning style to ensure that you take home more than just great photos.
The third goal is the easiest. In most cases, our clients have traded their hard earned vacation time to attend one of our photo tours. We simply want you to enjoy yourself. While we are heavily focused on getting each client into a position to capture outstanding images, balancing this agenda with a little relaxation is essential. Thankfully, the Pacific Northwest is a great place to accomplish both.
I traded in my corporate life to combine what I had learned with what I have loved. Watching another photographer glow with the anticipation of getting a fantastic shot is a tremendously rewarding. Seeing that light bulb moment when we are able to simplify a complex concept is more gratifying than anything I had accomplished in my previous life. We understand that this is a once in a lifetime trip for many, and will do whatever it takes to make it fun!
Understanding shutter speed, aperture, ISO and focus settings can be daunting and has caused many to put down their cameras for good. We will cover each of these items in detail and continually review camera settings throughout the week. Putting these concepts into practice is the best way for it to stick.
Special attention will be paid to depth of field and shutter speed. Both are critical to landscape photography and if used correctly, they can help separate your images from the rest of the pack.
I like to think of the "rules" of composition as simple guidelines that help us get started. That said, rules were meant to be broken. We will discuss the image assessment process as it relates to landscape photography and judge our own images by a set of criteria.
Our main focus is to get you into position to capture great photographs of the incredible landscapes that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Involvement is absolutely critical to learning, and putting your new knowledge into practice is essential for retention. We want you to take stellar photos, whether it's with Mount Rainier in your viewfinder or after you return home.
Light is absolutely critical to landscape photography and our entire schedule is based on getting you into the right position at the right time. We'll discuss how to use the magic hour to your advantage and deal with some of the other challenges that arise with landscape photography.
While it would be nice to have an unlimited budget, we realize that most of us don't have that luxury. That said, there are a few tools that can greatly improve your photography without breaking the bank. We will discuss these tools in detail while putting them into practice.
COMING IN 2020!
If you would like more information about our workshop in the Pacific Northwest or would like to be added to our mailing list for this tour, please complete the section below. We would love to have you on the trip!